7/14/2018 - 7/16/2018 Fern and I had talked about sleeping on top of a volcano for years, and the opportunity finally presented itself in July of 2018. He had been dealing with a stomach bug for a while and hadn’t eaten a proper meal in days but was finally feeling better and said he was good to go despite the calorie deficit. What a hero climbing partner! The weather forecast was looking HOT (at least in the Puget Sound area) and was going to be clear and sunny in the mounta

7/1/2017 - 7/2/2017 Gothic Basin is a popular place for a reason. It is a high bowl dotted with lakes – the crown jewel of which is Foggy Lake – and surrounded by the rugged peaks of the Mountain Loop. Our goal was to get up there before the crowds of mid-summer to do some camping and peakbagging. Creek crossings were melted out Fern and I got a relaxed start in the early afternoon and before long were hoofing it up the steep hillside toward the basin. The creek crossings, wh

Our journey to reach the highest point of each state in the contiguous US brought me and my dad to the Guadalupe Mountains in Texas. After checking out the fascinating city of El Paso, Texas my dad and I drove out on Highway 62 to Guadalupe Mountains National Park in just under 2 hours. We were visiting in winter but were still surprised to see a bit of snow on the ground at Pine Springs Campground – our home for the night. The night was clear and cold, and we got up once the